Bees are among my favourite creatures. It turns out that many people don’t understand the significance of bees and how important they are to our own livelihoods.

You may already know that bees pollinate flowering plants, and many of these plants produce foods for us. Most people think that bees are just for honey, but bees are shipped around the world to pollinate strawberries, almonds, eggplants and much much more. We need bees!

Since learning more about bees, I’ve wanted to keep them. The first step in doing so is taking a beekeeping class, right? Right.

 

Off to Round Rock Honey Beekeeping School I went. Boy, did I learn everything about how bees work. There are intricate social workings happening inside those hives. They’re such complex creatures. Did you know that bees can travel up to 5 miles away from the hive in search of nectar, which they transport back to the hive and produce honey?

During the class, we suited up and helped break down some hives for the winter — surrounded by the bees and their huge sense of purpose, buzzing all around. It’s simply magical. Where I live in San Francisco, you’re permitted to keep up to four hives with your neighbors’ consent – and you can start a hive with about $500.

Next up, I’ll just have to see what the neighbors think and whether they’re open to welcoming the magical bees into our neighborhood.

If you’re as curious about bees as I am, a great documentary to watch is Vanishing of the Bees.